1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to office furnishing systems, and more particularly to a cubicle system including a continuous work surface extending uninterrupted horizontally along a length of a spine wall and a plurality of divider panels adjustably positioned at any point along a top of the work surface and releasably secured to the spine wall for readily, quickly and inexpensively adjusting a size for cubicles formed by the system. Additional related accessories may be secured at any point along the length of the spine wall as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent times ever more widespread use has been made in modem offices of partition walls constituted by modular elements that can be assembled in various possible configurations and used to divide an open area into several separate workspaces. The partition walls usually extend from the floor at least part way to the ceiling of the area in which they are fitted and may be equipped with auxiliary elements such as bookshelves, suspended fittings or cupboards attached to the walls. The main advantage of the use of such partition walls lies in the fact that the space available can be partitioned fairly quickly and easily and the elements originally used in one location can be re-used to furnish a different location. However, these walls are not very flexible in their use. The furnishing of an area partitioned by these walls is modified by re-hiring an installation team to breakdown the existing system and re-install it, after its initial fitting-out. Additionally, these cubicle systems are able to convert large open areas within an office into useable office work space.
A similar development, parallel to that indicated above, has also taken place in the field of office work-station furnishings (desks, boardroom tables, work surfaces for typists, etc.). In this field, it has also been proposed to use furnishing systems that provide for the assembly of modular elements in various possible configurations so as to fulfill the needs for ease, rapidity and flexibility of assembly.
Hitherto, separate modular furnishing systems have been proposed for partition walls and for screens and workstations respectively. In some cases, integrated modular systems have also been proposed and provide both partition walls and screens. Known modular-furnishing systems usually have a combined desk and paneling system, which provides an effective means for subdividing office space and defining work areas. Various prior patents show work surfaces positioned within areas divided by the paneling system. Certain of these systems provide for power and communication wires and cables to be distributed throughout the desk and paneling systems by running the wires and cables through the walls.
Examples of adjustable cubicle systems such as discussed above have been provided in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,375,802; 5,428,928; 5,852,904; 6,076,317 and 6,161,437 all are illustrative of such prior art and are discussed hereinbelow.
This invention relates to a space-dividing wall panel system having a plurality of base panels that are serially connectable one with the other to define a vertically enlarged wall supported on a floor. Each base panel is defined by at least one horizontal box-beam rigidly connected to a pair of laterally spaced apart vertical uprights, which are connected at the opposite ends of the box-beam and have a reduced thickness compared thereto. With this clearance between the faces of the box-beam and the uprights, the box-beam, cross rails at the ends of the uprights as well as additional extension panels are formed with longitudinally extending channels which are positioned free of interference with the vertical uprights and aligned with serially-adjacent channels of serially-adjacent wall panels. The channels provide a continuous linear track on the opposite sides of the upright which permit the connection of mounting hooks of furniture components and permit continuous, uninterrupted sliding or adjustment of the furniture components along the entire length of the aligned channels.
This invention relates to workstations that use a combination of office panels and bridge arrangements that are attached to and project at an angle from a spine of office panels. The office panel frames that partially define a workstation provide the convenience of power and communication cabling within the panel frames. The bridge arrangements provide a lower cost alternative defining other walls of the workstation while also providing a system that can be rearranged easily. The bridge arrangements are preferably self supporting in an upright orientation and can easily be detached from a horizontal securing channel of an office panel frame and moved to a new position.
This invention relates to a space-dividing wall panel system having a plurality of base panels that are serially connectable one with the other to define a vertically enlarged wall supported on a floor. Each base panel is defined by at least one horizontal box-beam rigidly connected to a pair of laterally spaced apart vertical uprights, which are connected at the opposite ends of the box-beam and have a reduced thickness compared thereto. With this clearance between the faces of the box-beam and the uprights, the box-beam, cross rails at the ends of the uprights as well as additional extension panels are formed with longitudinally extending channels which are positioned free of interference with the vertical uprights and aligned with serially-adjacent channels of serially-adjacent wall panels. The channels provide a continuous linear track on the opposite sides of the upright which permit the connection of mounting hooks of furniture components and permit continuous, uninterrupted sliding or adjustment of the furniture components.
This invention relates to a combined desking and paneling system, which provides an effective means for subdividing office space and defining work areas. Work surfaces are provided and can be independently supported or supported by the paneling system. Power and communication wires and cables are distributed through and between the desking and paneling systems.
This patent discloses a structural assembly for fastening together and disengaging a slotted supporting unit and a supported unit having adjustable gripping means mounted thereon co-operable with the slotted supporting unit to apply compressive forces to the supporting unit and resulting tensile forces to the supported unit in order to maintain the fastened together units facing planar relationship.
The above-described systems are able to divide an open area into a plurality of cubicle shaped workspaces. However, these systems can be awkward and clumsy while also not being easily assembled, altered or disassembled. Reconfiguration of prior systems typically requires complete or near complete dismantling. These systems create cubicles which are all of uniform size and require additional elements in order to provide a ready to use work space. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a continuous work surface extending along a length of a spine wall of the system. It is further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including at least one dividing panel able to be selectively secured to the spine wall at any desired position therealong and extending perpendicularly thereto. It is still further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the dividing panel is able to be readily adjusted to produce cubicles of any desired size. It is even further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a plurality of dividing panels, each selectively securable to any position along the length of the spine wall to produce a plurality of cubicles, each cubicle being of a desired size. It is yet further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the dividing panels are able to selectively slide along the work surface when adjusting a size of a cubicle without dismantling the existing parts. It is further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a continuous work surface extending along both sides of the spine wall. It is still further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including at least one extension wall releasably securable to a dividing wall for increasing a size of the cubicle. It is even further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the extension wall includes a work surface extending therealong and at a height so as to be able to mate with the work surface extending along the spine wall. It is yet further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the extension wall includes a mounting bracket for a monitor for connection with a computer processor. It is desirable to also have light fixtures recessed or surface mounted in this extension for desktop video conferencing. It is still further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein cables and wires are able to extend within the extension and divider walls for providing an electrical connection within each cubicle formed by the system. It is even further desirable to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a selectively retractable screen stored within the extension wall and in an extended position being selectively securable to another extension wall to create an enclosed cubicle providing privacy to a user or storage space. It is also desirable to have overhead storage units that are either opened, like a shelf, or closed, like a cabinet that are mounted on a wall of the cubicle system. It is even further desirable for the overhead storage units to have a variable length which is easily adjustable.
The present invention relates to office furnishing systems, and more particularly to a cubicle system including a work surface extending horizontally along a length of a spine wall and a plurality of divider panels adjustably positioned at any point along a top of the work surface and secured to the spine wall for readily adjusting a size for cubicles formed by the system without dismantling the system.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system that will overcome the shortcomings of prior art devices.
The object of the present invention is to improve on previously known workstation cubicle systems by making their assembly easier, quicker and more flexible, as well as to provide a user with work spaces of a desired size which are easily and readily adjustable.
More particularly, this invention is based on a specific configuration of workstation furniture systems for use in an xe2x80x9copen office environmentxe2x80x9d (also referred to as xe2x80x9clandscape furniture environmentxe2x80x9d). The workstation configuration is created by using a common xe2x80x9ccenter spinexe2x80x9d. On at least one and preferably both sides of the center spine is a continuous work surface extending the length of and secured to the center spine. The center spine is formed from at least one vertically standing furniture panel. Alternatively, the center spine may be formed from a plurality of furniture panels fastened in tandem, creating a cubicle system of any desired length. Preferably, the cubicle system will be at least substantially 10 feet long at a minimum so that a plurality of cubicles may be formed on either side of the spine wall. Unlike typical xe2x80x9coff modularxe2x80x9d furniture systems currently on the market, the work surface is of a uniform height and uninterrupted along the length of the spine wall.
One inventive aspect of the present invention is the ability of the end user to change the size of a cubicle or workstation area without hiring an installation team or dismantling or moving multiple parts including the center spine or work surface. The end user or facility manager simply releases and slides a dividing panel along the work surface extending along the length of the center spine until a subdivided space of a desired width is obtained. At this point the dividing wall is positioned on the work surface and extends perpendicular to the center spine. The dividing wall is then releasably secured to the center spine. An extension wall may be positioned alongside and releasably secured to the dividing wall to extend the size of the work area or cubicle. The extension wall is selectively separated from the divider wall and can be moved with the divider wall when resizing a cubicle.
An object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a single work surface extending along a length of a spine wall of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system including at least one dividing panel able to be selectively secured to the spine wall at any desired position therealong and extending perpendicularly thereto.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the dividing panel is able to be readily adjusted to produce cubicles of any desired size using minimal effort.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a plurality of dividing panels, each selectively securable at any point along the length of the spine wall to produce a plurality of cubicles, each cubicle being of a desired size, wherein the size of a cubicle is only limited by the length of the center spine.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the dividing panels are able to selectively slide along the work surface when adjusting a size of a cubicle.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein a continuous and uninterrupted work surface extends along both sides of the spine wall.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system including at least one extension wall releasably secured to a dividing wall for increasing or decreasing the size of a cubicle formed by the dividing wall(s) and spine wall.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the extension wall includes a work surface extending therealong at a height so as to mate with the work surface extending along the spine wall.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the extension wall includes a mounting bracket for a monitor for connection with a computer processor positioned within the cubicle.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein the extension wall includes a recess for lighting fixtures that are appropriate for video conferencing.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system wherein cables and wires extend along raceways extending below the work surface for providing power to each cubicle formed by the system.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system including a selectively retractable screen stored within the extension wall and in an extended position being selectively securable to another extension wall to create an enclosed cubicle providing visual privacy to a user or storage space.
A still further object of the adjustable cubicle system of the present invention is that the instant system has an extension wall which sits on the floor and is built as a xe2x80x9cfreestandingxe2x80x9d furniture component. The extension wall may include any or all of built in pedestal files for ballast (to avoid tipping over), a work surface on one or both sides, and a vertically extending panel which connects to the dividing panel.
The extension wall can be configured in various ways to add to utility and make it unique including adding storage components to it such as a retractable screen able to be releasably secured to another extension wall for creating an enclosed cubicle for private use or storage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system that is simple and easy to use and modify.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cubicle system that is economical in cost to manufacture.
Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
Using the adjustable cubicle system described herein, a manufacturer can provide a single modular construction system for the complete furnishing of an office, which can be easily modified at anytime. The design and construction of the system are thus rationalized and simplified. The storage of the components of the system is also simplified since the number and types of components needed to form all the furnishing elements is reduced to a minimum. Finally, the system, which has work surfaces extending from one or both sides of a center spine, includes selectively adjustable dividing walls and extension walls for dividing the area of the work surface into cubicles of desired size. One of the main advantages of the adjustable cubicle system of the present invention is that the various components can be integrated harmoniously with each other and existing products in a functional yet aesthetically pleasing style. The speed and flexibility of assembly in constructing or disassembling the adjustable cubicle system of the present invention enables available space to be transformed more quickly and at lower cost than existing systems.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.